


Into The Night

by All_Of_The_Muses



Category: One Piece
Genre: Angst, F/M, Feels, Murder, Smut, ThatxOC, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-10
Updated: 2018-03-10
Packaged: 2019-03-29 12:33:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13927221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/All_Of_The_Muses/pseuds/All_Of_The_Muses
Summary: Red Hair Cassandra, younger sister to Red Hair Shanks and member of Thatch's 4th Division of the Whitebeard Pirates. She is trying to live her life ignoring the pain and memory of her brother's departure, the death of her family and the loneliness she felt for so long. Finally she's found love and a family but everything is about to change.Rated M for Future Chapters





	1. Chapter 1

"Kiss my ass you marine bastards!" A tall redhead wearing a pair of black pants, a purple shirt and a black corset sprinted down the dusty street a good thirty feet ahead of a dozen or so very angry marines.

"Cassandra stop right there!"

"You can't run forever!"

"Watch me!" Cassandra shouted over her shoulder before ducking into an alleyway. She knew they were right though. Her violet eyes moved down to the seastone shackles keeping her hands and powers bound. Even now her exhaustion was starting to show.

"Damn it..." She huffed making her way further down the alley. The surge of adrenaline was wearing off and it was getting harder and harder to stay focussed.

"Hey! She's over there!"

"Shit!" A cry of panic escaped her lips. Her feet carried her as swift as was possible until she reached the street ahead of her, the docks coming into view to her left. Cassandra smiled in triumph thinking she'd made it to safety.

Almost! I'm so close!

*BANG!*

A sharp tearing pain caught her right shoulder and the red head staggered forward before staggering over the edge of the sidewalk into the water below.

 _Well... This is just turning out to be a great day..._ Cassandra thought. She tried to hold her breath but found it near impossible and soon she was sinking like a stone. The last thing she was was a black blur before she slipped into the realm of unconsciousness.

_"You think she's gonna wake up?"_

_"Dunno. It all depends. The doc did what he could but it's all up to her now, yoi."_

_"What a coincidence. Her getting taken down by the marines just as we walk by? Who the hell could have timed that better?"_

_What the hell? I'm supposed to be dead... Why can I hear voices?_  Upon opening her eyes, Cassandra glanced around to find the source of the voices and tell them to shut up so she could sleep. A glance revealed that she was in a bed, a bed she didn't recognize in a place she had no idea where it was. Much to her surprise, there were three men standing on the far end of the room.

"What about pops? You think he's gonna want to keep her around?"

 _Pops? Who the hell is pops?_ She thought. This was becoming too much too handle, but in her current situation things weren't going to be as simple as up and leaving. Another glance revealed they all had their backs to her, prompting a silent relief to wash over her. Trying to remain as quiet as possible, Cassandra slipped out from under the covers, planning to slip out the door and get the hell out of dodge.

Her body had other plans though. As soon as she went to stand up, her knees shook before giving out.

At the sound of a loud *Thump*, the three turned to see what had happened only to find their guest lying on the ground.

"Whoah! You okay?" The taller of the three hurried over and knelt down to help Cassandra up. Looking at him, Cassandra could see now that he was a middle aged man with a goatee and a rather impressive pompadour.

"What business is it of yours?" Cassandra snapped pulling her arm away and pushing herself to her feet. She looked around and and saw the other two he'd been talking with. One was a black haired man wearing a pink kimono and geisha make up, the other was a bit taller with blond hair wearing a purple vest and blue pants.

"Hey, calm down. We pulled you out of the water after seeing you get shot." The raven haired man said with a kind smile.

"Yeah, sure. And you just go around saving women that fall into harbors from day to day?" Cassandra laughed. "Well, guess you got nothing better to do with your lives then. Thanks for the help, now how the hell do I get back to the docks?"

"Thatch, care to fill her in, yoi?" The blond man asked with an amused smile on his face.

"Sure. Ya may wanna sit down first thing. Doc patched up your shoulder but you were damn near dead when we got you." Thatch said taking Cassandra by the arm and pushing her to sit on the bed. "And don't worry. We're not gonna hurt ya."

"Gee, I feel so much safer already." Cassandra muttered glancing from Thatch to the other two. "I appreciate the help but I gotta get going. I don't have time to stick around."

"Just sit down for five minutes." Thatch said with a chuckle. "We're not gonna hurt you or anything. We just want to make sure you're okay before you go running off with the marines on your tail again, Red Hair Cassandra."

"Aw shit... Don't tell me you're a bunch of bounty hunters." Cassandra groaned, her hand shifting to rest on her right knee. If it came down to it, she'd have to find a way to fight her way out.

"What? You're kidding right? I've never been so insulted in my life!"

"Izo, knock it off, yoi."

"What? There is no way we could be mistaken for bounty hunters Marco." It then clicked. Those names, Thatch, Marco and Izo. A new sense of dread washed over Cassandra.

"What do you want? I can assure you I have nothing you or Whitebeard would want." Cassandra said, her voice betraying her attempts to remain strong.

"What makes you think he wants anything from you?" Izo asked looking a bit confused before glancing at Marco. "Geez, talk about paranoid."

"Hey! Don't talk about me like I'm not here." Cassandra said.

"Let's just cut to the chase." Thatch said hoping to get back on track. "Pops isn't the kind of guy to just save anyone from drowning. We were in port resupplying when we caught wind of the marines chasing down an escaped prisoner. The younger sister of Red Hair Shanks."

"If it's a ransom you're looking for you can forget it." Cassandra's tone turned bitter and hurt, the pain reflected in her violet eyes. "He up and left twenty years ago. For all I care, he might as well be dead."

"Huh? That's a bit harsh, yoi." Marco muttered raising a brow. "And in any case, pops isn't like that yoi. He wanted to get you away from the marines and maybe offer you a position on the crew, yoi."

"Great, so the plan was snatch me up, then hijack me onto your crew. Right. Sorry but I got things to do. Nice meeting you and I hope to never see you again." Cassandra said getting up and forcing herself to approach the door. Her body was stiff and didn't want to be moving around but she didn't have time for that.

"Huh? Hey, just take a minute an-" Thatch had gone to grab her arm and stop the woman from leaving, but was cut short when Cassandra yanked her knife from her boot and held it to his chest.

"Hands off."

"Hahaha! You got a real way with the ladies Thatch." Izo teased.

"Listen, I don't know why your captain wants me to join up or whatever, and I don't really care. Even if I wanted to, I have to find someone." Cassandra explained. Though she kept her weapon firmly in her grasp, her stance softened a bit. "There's a promise I made, that I have to keep. No matter what, I can't let anything get in my way. If I break that promise, I'm no better than the bastard I'm looking for."

This caught Thatch and Marco off guard, a woman as young as her already wanted someone dead? And it seemed like she was ready to lay down her own life if it was required.

"You have dedication, an admirable trait for such a young brat."

Cassandra spun around, her violet eyes meeting an abnormally tall figure. Her gaze drifted up, tracing over scars up to see the face of the legendary captain himself. Edward Newgate, better known to the world as Whitebeard.

"Thanks for the compliment, now if you'll excuse me, I have to be on my way." Cassandra said with a respectful nod of her head.

"Not so fast." Whitebeard said, his arms crossing over his chest. "I have a proposition for you."

"I heard. Pompadour over there told me. And I gotta say, I'm flattered that you'd offer me a spot on your crew, but I'm gonna have to say no." Cassandra said going to step around Whitebeard. "Now, thanks for the help boys but I gotta get going."

"You're going to get off in the middle of the ocean?" Whitebeard asked with an amused tone. Cassandra paused midstep, staring at just what he meant. They had long since left port and there were no signs of land along any of the horizon. Was that his plan after they fished her out of the harbor? Patch her up and then leave while she was still out cold so she couldn't say no?

"You're crafty ya old geezer I'll give ya that." Cassandra grumbled, her hands clenching at her sides. "Doesn't mean I'm gonna say yes."

"Well that's too bad. You're going to be sticking around for quite a while." Whitebeard said with a chuckle. "Thatch, get her settled in."

"Excuse you?" Cassandra cocked a brow and scoffed. "Nice try old man, but like I said, I'm not sticking around."

Before much else could be said, Cassandra held her free hand up and made a motion towards Whitebeard. There was a moment of confusion before a thin, sharp stream of water came up from over the edge of the ship and flew straight towards the captain. Just before it connected, there was a flash of blue flames and the attack evaporated.

"Oh man, it's gonna be like Izo all over again." Thatch grumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

"If I were you Cassandra, I'd get comfortable yoi." Marco said with a smirk. "Welcome to the crew, yoi."

~1 Year Later~

"Hey! Cas! Wake up, your turn for watch." Izo said thwacking the sleeping redhead on the back of the head with his fan. Cassandra groaned and held her head, glaring up at Izo, the Whitebeard Jolly Roger tattooed on her forearm.

"What's the big idea you jerk!?" She snapped. "You couldn't wake me up normally?"

"You weren't waking up. Now get on watch, Thatch needs to be relieved so he can work on dinner." Izo said. Cassie grumbled something along the lines of sure whatever before getting up out of her deck chair and making her way up to the crow's nest.

"Hey Thatch, sorry I'm late." She said with a yawn. Thatch looked over and laughed, shaking his head at her.

"I swear you're just as bad as Izo sometimes." He teased ruffling her hair. "Anyway, I'll have Marco bring ya dinner when it's done."

"Thanks Thatch." She said straightening her hair. "But could you knock that off? I'm not a kid you know."

"Whatever you say." Thatch said as he began climbing down. "Oh, and no sleeping on watch."

"I don't sleep on watch. Oh ye of little faith." Cassandra said sticking her tongue out at Thatch. He laughed again before leaving to cook dinner. Cassandra watched him leave before leaning against the railing and staring at the sun starting to set against the blue of the horizon. To think about a year ago, she'd been doing whatever it took to try and get away from Whitebeard and his crew and yet here she was, a crew member of the Whitebeard Pirates on the Fourth Division.

"Mom... Dad... I hope you guys are proud of me." She whispered to herself, a smile gracing her lips as she stared up at the clouds above.


	2. Chapter 2

"Portgas D. Ace?"

"Yeah, I ran into him on the latest supply run. He's making a pretty big name for himself." Cassandra said setting a newspaper on Whitebeard's desk. "Was asking around about you too."

"Oh yeah! I heard about this guy. He was offered a warlord position but turned it down." Thatch said with a chuckle. "Kids got guts."

"Guys a pain in the ass if you ask me." Cassandra said rubbing the back of her neck. "Guy doesn't know when to shut up. Kept going on and on about how he was gonna kill you."

"Gurarara!! I'd like to see him try!" Whitebeard cackled. "I like this kid. Any idea where he said he was going to be?"

"Tch, you're not seriously talking about recruiting this kid right?" Cassandra asked looking at her captain in disbelief. "You're just asking for trouble pops!"

"Pot, kettle." Thatch laughed. "You weren't exactly the most compliant recruit either."

"To be fair, you did just kind of scoop me out of the ocean and expect me to join up without a second thought." Cassie pointed out with a chuckle. "In all seriousness though, I'm not too sure about this."

"Did you find out where he's going to be?" Whitebeard asked again, nowhere near as concerned as Cassandra was about the Spade Pirate Captain.

"Yeah. Here." She said writing down the location she'd heard. "It's the most recent I heard. One of his crew mates said they'd be there a while. It's not too far from here actually."

"Thatch."

"Yeah, I'll lay in the heading. Cas, I want you to start work on dinner prep. I'm gonna be busy for a bit." Thatch said hooking an arm around Cassandra's shoulder and leading her out of Whitebeard's room.

"Ugh, really?" She grumbled walking alongside him.

"Are you talking back to your commander young lady?" Thatch teased once they were out of earshot of their captain.

"Depends, whatcha gonna do about?" Cassandra asked smirking up at Thatch. Before she could say anything else, the sudden feeling of the commander's hands on her waist pushing her into the wall of the galley drew a startled gasp from her lips.

"Keep going and you might find out." He said with a seductive smirk, leaning down and pressing his lips to hers. Cassandra let out an unintentional moan, her hands grasping at his shoulders as the fight for dominance began.

"You know... Pops is gonna be pissed if he catches us slacking off..." Thatch growled against her lips.

"Says the man wasting time..." She laughed, licking his bottom lip before pulling back just enough to lock eyes with him. "We're gonna have about a day before we find this Ace kid... And... After dinner, it's Izo's turn for clean up..."

"Say no more." Thatch said kissing her again, his right hand tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. "I don't want the others to start screwing around again..."

"They do, I'll just have to shut them up then won't I?" Cassandra said with a smirk before kissing him one last time and slipping into the kitchen to begin her chore of dicing potatoes and mincing onions.

"That woman..." Thatch mused to himself with a laugh before heading towards the helm.

"You two are worse than a couple of rabbits, you know that yoi?" Marco pointed out, walking alongside him.

"Nobody asked you to watch." Thatch countered.

"It's hard not to when you two can't keep your hands off one another, yoi."

"You're just jealous." Thatch replied with a childish tone.

"Whatever, yoi."

\------

"Wait... He fell asleep?" Cassandra stared at the man brought aboard after what looked to be a pretty impressive fight. She'd stayed aboard the ship with everyone else despite wanting to deal with Ace herself. She didn't think Whitebeard need to get involved but when the old man made up his mind there was no changing it.

"Cassandra, don't be rude." Whitebeard said while Marco carried the kid to the infirmary.

"I'm not pops, I just have a really weird feeling about all of this..." Cassandra said shaking her head.

"Well, since you seem to be so interested in him, you can show Ace around once he wakes up." Whitebeard said with a smirk. The look on the woman's face was anything but pleased.

"What!?"

"That's an order. Understood?" Whitebeard said, daring her to say otherwise.

"Fine. Doesn't mean I'm gonna like it..." Cassandra huffed storming off after Marco. "Of all the people on this ship... Why's it gotta be me... Son of a..."

"Geez pops, you want her to kill him or something?" Thatch asked, almost dreading what would happen when Ace woke up. Whitebeard just smiled to himself before going to his room.

\----

"Set me on watch for this brat... The hell is he thinking?" Cassandra muttered. She was leaning against the wall beside Ace's bed, watching for even the slightest hint he was waking up. Much to her surprise, he was still out cold.

"Man... Maybe pops knocked him for a loop without realizing it..." She said, placing a hand on his forehead. He was warm to the touch, almost as if he had a fever. She walked over to the wash basin and wet a rag before placing it on his forehead. "It's hard to tell if you're getting sick or if it's because you're the infamous "Fire Fist"..."

"Hng... I've always been told I'm too hot for my own good..."

"Very fun-- Huh?" Cassandra stared, a bit surprised that he was awake so soon, but she did her best to keep composed. She wanted to at least give a decent first impression. "So,you're a comedian. Well, according to pops you dove headfirst into the dirt then passed out like you'd just started a nap."

"Hm? Oh, yeah, guess that means I passed out again. Sorry if I scared ya." Ace said with a chuckle sitting up and pulling the rag from his brow.

"No, if anything you gave the crew a good laugh." Cassie continued, leaning on the footboard of the bed. "Now then, hate to do this to ya, what with you just waking up and all but I got some questions for ya kid. First of all, what in the hell made you think it was a good idea to try and hunt down a pirate emperor? And Whitebeard at that?"

"Hm? Oh that, well, it's a long story but let's just say I owe it to my old man." Ace said standing up and stretching. "Speaking of, any idea where I am?"

"Seriously?" Cassandra could feel the irritation rising in the back of her mind. "I'll give ya a hint." Without saying anything she held up her right arm to reveal Whitebeard's mark, her expression begging him to not actually be as dumb as he was acting.

"You're saying..."

"That's right, give the boy a prize!" The redhead said clapping sarcastically at him. "You're aboard the main flagship of the Whitebeard Pirates, The Moby Dick. You're lucky pops didn't just leave ya on the ground. I would've."

"Where is he?" Ace's tone turned bitter, anger flowing from his form. Cassandra cocked a brow, stepping between him and the door out of the infirmary.

"Listen, I don't know what kind of grudge ya got against pops, but you wanna get to him? You're gonna have to go through me." She said, her arms crossing over her chest.

"No offense ma'am, but my fight's not with you." Ace said standing up, grabbing his hat from the side table. "I'd rather you not get invo-GAK!!"

Cassandra had cut him off after gripping his arm and pinning him against the floor beneath her knee. Red hair covered her face while she held his arm behind his back against his shoulder blades.

"I told you... You wanna get to him, you gotta go through me." She repeated.

"Ow! C'mon lady I don't even know you!" Ace cried out trying to writhe free of her grasp.

"Oh I'm sorry. How rude of me." Cassandra said tightening her grasp and applying more pressure to her knee against his spine. "The name's Cassandra, of Whitebeard's Fourth Division. Now then, care to tell me why you're after pops? Or am I gonna ruin whatever dignity you have left?"

"OWOWOW!! HEY THAT'S ATTACHED!" Ace snapped before finally reacting. In an act of desperation, he used his free hand to push himself up, throwing Cassie off balance and shifting so that he had her pinned down beneath him, his hands keeping her wrists pinned down beside her head. "I don't want to fight you!"

"Oh really? Then what's with threatening my captain?" She growled. "Threatening someone's captain is just as bad if not worse than threatening you! Like hell I'm going to let you get to him!" 

"You wouldn't understand!" Ace said before feeling his hands get wet. "What?"

"You should've done your research before being in such a hurry to get your ass kicked." She taunted, her arms becoming water and slipping from his grasp with ease. Before he could ask what was going on, Cassandra shoved him back and sprang to her feet.

"Let me introduce myself properly. I'm Water Walker Cassandra, member of the Fourth Division. You want to get to the king? You're gonna have to go through me." She said, her arms returning to normal as an orb of water appeared to be hovering in her palm.

\----

"You think he's gonna be alright?" Thatch asked, making a mental note that they hadn't seen Cassie come out of the infirmary since Ace was brought aboard, nearly three hours ago.

"Now that you mention it... It has been eerily quiet." Vista said with a glance towards the infirmary. "Think he's still alive?"

"WATER WHIP!"

"Awww crap..." Thatch groaned hearing the sound of crashing followed by screams of pain.

"Hey, she's your girlfriend." Vista said patting Thatch on the shoulder and walking away as if he hadn't heard anything. The cook shot him a glare before going to deal with the commotion.

"What's going on in here!?"

"Hm? Oh hey Thatch, sorry bout the mess." Cassandra said looking over as the door slammed open. She had Ace hanging by his feet with a stream of water that resembled a rope. "Our guest got a bit anxious."

Thatch couldn't help but stare. Not at what she'd done, but at the charred furniture and total mess the two had made. A vein threatened to burst in his forehead though he did his best not to show it.

"For a cute lady, you pack a helluva punch." Ace commented with a smirk. Cassandra rolled her eyes and waved her hand, tossing him across the room against one of the walls.

"He's fine before ya ask. Cocky, over confident, and doesn't seem to understand when to shut the hell up." Cassandra said, ignoring the groans coming from Ace.

"You're one to talk..." Thatch muttered before placing a hand on Cassandra's shoulder. "Don't even get me started on your--"

"Hey! It's been a year... You can let it go, right?" Cassandra huffed before noticing Ace had made no effort to get up from where he'd landed. "Hm? You okay over there kid?"

"Cas, you should've gone easy on him. Pops is gonna be pissed if you killed him before he joins our crew." Thatch said. His tone was a bit casual, but the way he rushed over to check on Ace betrayed any attempt at calm. After a moment, Thatch laughed and rose to his feet.

"What's so funny?" Cassie asked walking over and nudging Ace with her boot. His head lulled back and the sounds of snoring soon filled the room.

"Seems he was a bit more exhausted than we thought." Thatch commented moving him back to the bed. "Pretty sure you didn't need to beat the crap outta him right after he woke up though."

"He threatened our crew, I reacted accordingly." She replied with a shrug. There was a loud *thwack* as Thatch smacked her arm.

"Ouch!" Cassie rubbed her arm, glaring up at him.

"Be nice. Pops wanted him alive or he would've done the kid in himself." Thatch said pulling her into his arms and placing a gentle kiss on her lips.

"Fine, then talk pops into putting Rakuyo or Haruta on watch. Cause as soon as he opens his damned mouth I'm gonna knock him back out." Cassie said with a huff returning the kiss. Thatch just laughed, escorting her out of the infirmary before she could lay into Ace again.

"I'll see what I can do." Thatch said closing the door behind them.

"Thanks. I don't know what it is about that guy but he just rubs me the wrong way." Cassie said rubbing the back of her head. "I'd rather take vegetable duty than deal with him anymore."

"He must really get on your nerves then. Geeze. Well, I'll make up a tray for you to take in to him then I'll have a chat with pops. I'll see if we can switch you out with someone else alright?"

"Yeah, I just hope this doesn't interfere with our date night. We don't get much time to ourselves as it is." Cassie pouted following him into the galley. "Hell, we haven't even gotten to have dinner amongst ourselves since the last time we were in port."

"And I promise I'll make it up to you. We've been overwhelmed lately and with Ace joining us now, we might not have much time to ourselves." Thatch explained dishing up some stew and bread. "But I do promise that the next chance we get, I'll let pops know we're taking a day to ourselves. Alright?"

Cassie paused a moment before sighing, her arms crossing over her chest.

"Alright, but you owe me your famous massage too got it?" She said before picking up the tray amd turning to leave. Thatch smirked and hugged her from behind, kissing her neck as he did.

"Babe, I'll give you anything you want for putting up with me for so long." He murmured against her skin.

"Careful... I might just make you regret that..." She taunted with a smirk leaning her head back and kissing his jaw with feather kisses.

"You'd better hurry... Can't leave him unattended too long..."

"Ugh. Just what we need. Another overgrown manchild." Cassie said kissing him one last time before heading back to the infirmary. Much to her relief, after pushing the door open with ehr foot, Cassie saw Ace still lying in bed.

"You're not gonna pretend to be asleep again are ya?" She asked walking over and placing the tray on the side table.

"Are you gonna kick my ass if I say yes?" He asked peeking one eye open and looking over at her. Cassie rolled her eyes, walking over to the chair she'd left by the door.

"I'm gonna warn you now. You may think you're hot shit, but pops doesn't just ask every idiot that wants him dead to join up. If he wants you, there's a reason for it. Whatever beef your old man has with pops, it's in the past." Cassie explained sitting back and folding her hands behind her head. "I'd get comfortable if I were you."

"Is that how you joined up?" Ace asked sitting crosslegged on the bed and taking the bowl of soup. "Oh and sorry for any trouble I caused earlier. I kind of got ahead of myself."

"Huh?" Cassie stared a moment in shock. After declaring his intentions about her captain, he was apologizing? She shook her head and returned to his question, not wanting another reason to want to knock him out.

"Well, I was booking it from some marines when one of them took a shot at me and I fell into the sea." She explained, rubbing the shoulder that'd been shot back then. "Talk about perfect timing. I guess Thatch and Marco were on a supply run or something cause the next thing I knew, I was waking up in that same bed there after I was fished out of what I thought was gonna be my grave."

"Huh, and they asked you to join their crew after?" Ace asked taking a bite of the stew. "Oh man! This is awesome! Did you cook this!?"

"Uh, to answer your second question, no. I'm not the cook, Thatch won't let me in the kitchen after I... Nevermind. Needless to say, Thatch doesn't let me cook." Cassie said. "And I wasn't exactly asked to join. Pops basically said you're joining up and the rest is history."

"And you were just okay with it?" Ace asked. Cassie hesitated, she knew exactly what what he meant. She hadn't exactly been the most willing crewmember, but she'd taken to the crew after realizing that A) Whitebeard wasn't as bad as she thought and B) She was better off with them than on her own.

"I'm not gonna lie, I was resistant. With my life choices though... If I hadn't stuck around I'd be dead already..." Cassie explained in a serious tone. "I would've died and everyone I'd made my promise to... It wasn't worth it. I don't know what happened to you that made you want to kill pops so much, but trust me when I say whatever it is isn't worth it."

"Well, I understand you have your reasons for trusting him, I can't." Ace said setting his bowl aside and shifting his hat. "I need to kill Whitebeard."

"Good luck then. You gotta get past me first." She said holding her right hand up and forming an orb of water in her hand again.

"I don't hit women."

\----------------------------------

"Finally! Some peace and quiet!" Thatch laughed at Cassie's exclamation, his arm hooked around her shoulders. No matter what, she always had the ability to be energetic in her ways.

"I think pops knows you deserve a break." He said walking with her along the merchants stalls. "You've been working hard lately."

"If by working hard you mean dealing with that dumbass Ace then I haven't had a day off in six months!" Cassie scoffed shaking her head. "What's his problem anyway? I mean, pops doesn't just take anyone into the crew. Hell, you had to practically drill that into my skull when I first came aboard."

Thatch let out a heart laugh. He remembered all too well what it was like when Cassie kept trying to make her escape. When Whitebeard had found out why she was trying so hard to leave and the fact that she'd been hellbent on revenge, he made sure she didn't leave.

"Well, let's not worry about that. This is my day to spoil you. Got it?" Thatch said. Cassie just nodded, trying not to think too much on what chaos Ace was causing back on the ship. Just from the way she carried herself Thatch could tell she was still distracted.

"Wait here." He said. Cassie looked confused as he walked over to one merchant in particular. What was he up to? After a few minutes, the ship's cook returned with something enclosed in his hand.

"Thatch, what are you doing?" She asked putting her hands on her hips.

"I told you this was my day to spoil you. Close your eyes." Thatch smiled, waiting for her to do so. Cassie watched him a moment before smiling a bit and closing her eyes.

"If this is a prank, I will kick you ass." She teased.

"Why would I do that in such an obvious way?" He asked.

"You forget, I know you."

"Fair. Just one moment..." Thatch said. Cassie felt him move her hair and something being placed around her neck. Out of instinct, long slender fingers drifted up and went to feel what Thatch had put on her.

"You know you can open your eyes now, right?" Thatch said placing his hand ontop of hers.

"I knew that..." She huffed, blushing a bit as she did. She looked down and her eyes grew wide. Around her neck Thatch had placed a necklace with a blue opal in the shape of a teardrop with a thin silver wire wrapped around it to form a heart in the center.

"T-Thatch... It's beautiful!" Cassie gasped, her fingers wrapping around his as she smiled up at him.

"Blue opals are said to be a symbol of connection and strong emotions." He explained. "It symbolizes the love I have for you. Though, it'll never be as beautiful as you are..."

"It's beautiful but... Thatch, I-I can't. What if I lose it?" Cassie asked.

"Hey, what's the point of having such an amazing girlfriend if I can't dote on her and spoil her rotten?" Thatch laughed, his arms winding around her middle as he pulled her in close. "I love you Cassandra. More than anything in this world. Alright? I want you to know that."

"I love you too you romantic idiot." She teased with a chuckle leaning up to kiss him.

"Hey love birds! Pops wants us back at the ship, yoi!"

Both pirates looked startled before glancing up to find Marco hovering above them.

"You have the wosrt timing jackass!" Cassie barked, blushing nearly as red as her hair.

"What's wrong?" Thatch asked, still holding Cassie flush to him.

"Some marines tried to pick a fight with some of the crew at a bar, yoi. There's a pretty big fleet headed this way in response so pops wants us to get outta here before they show up, yoi." Marco explained coming to land beside them, the blue flames surrounding him vanishing once he touched ground. "He wants to keep from causing problems for the locals, yoi."

"Lemme guess. Our date's over?" Cassie asked with a disappointed groan.

"Hey, I'll make you something special later to make up for it. Okay?" Thatch asked before looking at Marco. "Let's go. I know pops can get impatient."

"You two are worse than a couple of teens, yoi." Marco teased before heading back to the Moby with Cassie and Thatch in tow.

"You're just mad cause you're still single." Cassie teased, earning a loud 'OI' from the Phoenix. The run back to the ship was short, it seemed most people either didn't know who they were or knew and didn't want to pick a fight with them.

"Enjoy your date?" Izo asked looking over from the rigging he was working on.

"Yeah, the whole hour we got." Cassie huffed walking over to the mast and gripping the ladder tight. "Seems we're just not allowed to have a day to ourselves anymore."

"Welcome to the life of a pirate." Izo grunted. Cassandra just rolled her eyes before climbing up to help unfurl the sails.

"Pops! The marines are here!" The lookout cried. Whitebeard emerged from his cabin and turned to the horizon, his gaze narrowing at the thought of having to deal with a bunch marines when the day had been going so well.

"Cassandra! Can you get us moving faster!" Though it was phrased to be a question, the redhead knew very well he was telling her to help get a move on. Luckily she was only about halfway up the ladder when she jumped down and ran to the front of the ship.

"You got it pops!" She called out before lifting her arms to the sides. With a deep breath, Cassie mustered her strength and began to focus her energy on the waters around the ship. Once she managed to focus her energy, the woman began moving her arms in a circular motion, willing her Devil Fruit to push the ship into motion.

It took most of her strength as she'd only recently began using her powers in this way, but the water began moving beneath them and the ship pulled into open sea before them.

"Come on... Come on..." She panted, a sweat forming on her brow as she began pushing harder to get the Moby moving faster while the crew finished prepping the sails and getting the ship ready to sail on her own. With a determined grunt she thrust her hands forward, pushing the water from behind the ship to boost forward.

"Come on!" The Moby Dick jolted forward and began moving through the sea away from the marines.

"Pops! We're all set!" One of the crew members called down when the sails opened and the ship began moving of her own accord.

"Good, let's leave those marine dogs in the dust. I don't feel like playing with these children." Whitebeard scoffed before turning his attention to Cassie. The redhead was breathing heavily and he could tell she was trying to remain standing.

"Took ya guys... Long enough..." Cassie panted falling to one knee.

"Did she... Just move the ship?" Ace asked having watched the whole thing from the railing.

"Yes she did... And she can hear you moron." Cassie growled trying to push herself to her feet again.

"Don't push yourself Cas." Thatch said walking over and helping her to remain standing. "You're still getting used to-"

"I'm fine Thatch. I'm a pirate, not a dandelion." She teased with a smirk.

"Gurarara! Well done my daughter! Your strength seems to be growing by the day!" Whitebeard said clapping a hand on her shoulder. Cassie grunted before falling to her knees again.

"Damn... Guess... I still haven't gotten the hang of that yet." She said wiping the sweat from her brow on the back of her hand. "Just gimme a minute, I'll be fine."

"Of course you'll be fine. Take it easy for a bit." Whitebeard stated with a nod to Thatch. Before Thatch could lift her from the floor to move her to the galley, Ace had chosen now to try and strike Whitebeard down.

Again.

"Really?" Izo and Jozu muttered. This time, Ace had opted for an axe to attack with. Before his blade could connect though, Cassie mustered the last of her strength to catch his ankle with a whip of water and slam him into the deck.

"Seriously... You're an idiot. We've... Already got enough to deal with." She said before retracting her whip and bracing herself against her knee.

"Cassandra, I told you to take it easy." Whitebeard said, more disappointed in her actions than Ace's hundredth attempt on his life.

"I'll get her something to eat pops." Thatch said scooping Cassie into his arms and carrying her towards the galley. Cassie wanted to protest but ended up simply lying in Thatch's arms as she tried to keep from passing out.

"Zehahaha, everything alright Thatch?"

"Yeah. Cassie just worked herself a little too hard Teach. What're you doing in here? You know the galley's off limits when I'm not here." Thatch said with a quirked brow as he set Cassandra in one of the chairs.

"Pops wanted me to move those in here." Teach said jabbing a thumb at a stack of sake barrels along one wall.

"Ah, thanks. You should go lend a hand on deck." Thatch said motioning to the door. "We're gonna need all hands until we get away from the marines."

"Right. Take it easy Cassandra, zehahaha." Teach said with a smile before leaving the galley. Cassie had just watched him leave, a chill running through her as he smiled at her. Though she couldn't place why, something about him made her uneasy. Perhaps it was the fact that he'd been part of the crew for so long yet so little was known about him. Or maybe it was the way Whitebeard never referred to the man as his son like he did everyone else.

"Hey, you alright?" Thatch asked placing a plate of fruit down in front of her with a glass of water. "You look a bit pale..."

"Hm?" Drawn out of her daze, Cassie looked up and smiled at Thatch. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine... I think I just overdid it..."

"I could've told you that." Thatch commented taking a seat beside her. "What's really bothering you?"

"It's nothing Thatch. I'm just tired..." Cassie said taking a slice of pineapple and biting into it. "I haven't gotten quite used to using my powers like that yet."

Thatch watched her a moment. He knew she was uneasy around Teach, but it bothered him that she didn't feel she could talk to him about it. She had already opened up to him about the fate of her family, the hardships she'd been through before meeting them, even her feelings towards her brother. But when it came to Teach she wouldn't say a word about it.

"Idiot." He chuckled. "You're probably one of the greatest mysteries I've ever encountered."

"Well, women are often compared to the depths of the sea no man has ever seen." She said with a chuckle, kissing his cheek. "That's part of the fun of being together though. Discovering each other's secrets."

"Fair. Now then, you finish that, and I'll start prepping dinner for tonight." Thatch said. He kissed her lips tenderly before standing up and heading for his workstation.

"Okay dad." She said with a smirk.

"Hey, save that for later." He teased, winking at her over his shoulder. Cassie blushed a bit before turning to her plate and taking a strawberry from it. It didn't take much for him to fluster her, but that was something she loved about that man.

Perhaps this was what she had been missing all those years.


End file.
